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Testimony of Barrett Dilger
My I have always been content with my relationship with God. That includes when I did not believe He existed. I was not raised in a religious family. That is not to say that there was a great discrepancy between us and what a normal, middle class, Los Angeles suburban family should be. We were basically really good people and anybody who has come into contact with my family I think is blessed to know them. Of course that has nothing to do with my relationship with God.

Since I did not come from a family that knew God, it is no surprise that I didn't know Him myself. Most of my childhood I went around not even thinking or considering the concept of God. I was always ok with that too. Except that I always had this nagging pull from the inside telling me there was something bigger out there. When I was in high school I considered myself atheist most of the time, agnostic at my high moments. I figured that if there was a God then He would have made himself known to me by now or at least to the world so there would not be any grand debate over it. I mean, why can't God be proven if He's God? After all, we know everything through the proof of science, so why can't we prove God, too? So all I knew was what I was taught. That science does not support the God of the Bible, so therefore, it must be false, and therefore He must be false. But that doesn't mean that there is no God does it? Logically no, just not Jehovah as God. So my search began there.

Well I had some very interesting journeys to say the least. In my search, I meandered through all the religious options out there, lingering around the occultic and magical "arts." Mostly I studied the Order of the Golden Dawn, Wicca, crystals, tarot, and psychic and astral planes. All the concepts presented were independent of each other, but very similar in concept and idea. I picked and chose what suited me and before I knew it, I had a mish-mashed jumble of my own Gnostic religion.

A few years later my then girlfriend (now wife), who was raised in a "religious" household urged me to go to church with her. I was hesitant at first, but wanted to show support so I started attending with her. Boy was this church exactly what I thought it would be. They had this "organization" thing down to a T. They were nice and loving and inviting one minute, then judgmental once you opened up to them. Since I was not accepting of Christ, they blacklisted me and tried to separate me from my girlfriend. What horrible people these Christians are. Of course, this ended up being a cult that blasphemes Christ's name just by using it. I know now that this is not what a "true" Christian is. But I must hand it to them; it is because of them that I realized I needed to "arm" myself against these types of people. I picked up the Bible and began to read it. I was going to prove that little book wrong so much that their heads would spin. That was my first turning point.

I wish I could say that I read the book of John (that's the one I started with) and my eyes were opened and I could see and understand Gods way in my life. That didn't happen. My heart was so hard that it had no impact on me whatsoever. Well, except for the part that I couldn't prove it wrong. But I wasn't convinced. I just knew it was wrong, even if I couldn't prove it. It just wasn't worth my time any more (we stopped going to the cult church).

A few more years went by and my girlfriend again wanted to go to church. I was really hesitant this time, but again I went for support. That first sermon I sat in the back corner of a 5,000+ member church, as far removed as I could be. At the end of it I almost walked down the aisle when they gave the invitation to accept Christ. Again, I wish I could say I did it and my eyes were opened, but alas I thought the entire notion that entered my head stupid and I just sat there. But I felt the Lord start to work in me that day. I bought another Bible, one that was easier to read, and I began again. This time, with irregular church attendance and irregular Bible reading becoming regular church attendance and regular Bible reading there began to be an impact. But I still was not satisfied with the "proof" presented to me. That was until I got married.

Two nights before I walked down the aisle, my wife woke up in the middle of the night terrified. I really didn't want to get up at 1:00 in the morning because she got spooked in the hotel we were staying at, but after a few minutes I realized she wasn't going to let me go back to sleep. So I got up and heard her out, comforted her and let her pray. Then I got down on my knees and said my own little prayer, silently of course. We sat there in bed and both started to read the Bible. We were sharing some little things we came across and then I got curious. I wondered, what is exactly at the end of this book? If the book is so important, shouldn't the ending be important too, if not the most important part? So I flipped there, right to the last page. What was there? What did I see? I saw the words "The Spirit and the Bride say Come." The words seemed to be floating off the page, you know, like one of those tests the eye doctor gives you or one of those crazy 3-D comic books. Just like that. And when I read that, I could feel goose bumps run all over my body. It was such a strong feeling that I remarked at it and looked at my arm to see how big they were. Not one hair was on end. I looked up to tell my wife how crazy this was and she was standing at the window, looking at the sky. She kept saying one word over and over. "Come." I immediately tried to rationalize it all. I started coming up with excuses for why I can not believe what was happening to me. Then I stopped. I knew I was making excuses, but I still didn't have my "proof" either. I told God I wasn't ready to make a decision because I didn't know for sure. It seemed silly to me to commit my life to a God if I was not sure. But then I said that I had seen enough that I cannot just disregard it either. So I told him, "Ok you obviously want me to follow you. I will give it a shot. If you are not real I should be able to figure it out within a few weeks and I can stop. If you are real then I'm following you already." It sounded logical to me. I figured it would be only a week, two at most, if He was not real. Well, the next weekend I was convicted and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and I have never looked back.

Since then, I have found the greatest of all relationships with my Lord and Savior. I can love my wife the way she needs to be loved because I know the love of Christ. I can be trustworthy and faithful to my friends, family, and complete strangers because my God has chosen to be that way with me. I have seen another side to this whole "religion" thing. That it isn't about religion. It is about a personal relationship with my God and yours. He knows you. He wants you to know him too. Yeah, I am more than content with my relationship with God.

Oh, and what about my proof? God told me to come to Him even with all my problems and doubts. Then he showed me His answer. I continued to read the Bible and got all the proof I needed. A funny thing about that book, a good chunk is prophecy (I think the statistic is 2/3). Of that prophecy, a whole lot has come true. As I read through scripture history unfolded in reverse. Things we know today fit completely with Biblical writings from 2, 3, and 4 thousand years ago. And as a skeptic I "knew" there was no proof for the Bible. I'm so glad God is patient.

Testimony of Vera Flannery
My family moved to California in the summer of 1986 after my parents decided they could no longer afford the house payments in Wisconsin That same year, I finished kindergarten at Faith Christian Academy - a private school that required uniforms, morning chapel, and discipline for students who received demerits. I had grown close to my teacher, Mrs. Hindrick's, and over the year had asked her to pray with me so that I could accept Jesus Christ into my heart. We prayed together on a bus during one our field trips. It was an amazing experience even at the age of six, and I remember crying and feeling an overwhelming sense of peace.

The day I accepted Christ is one of the few days I remember about kindergarten - well, that, and I had a crush on a boy named Timothy - so when it came time to move, I wasn't angry about leaving Wisconsin, I just knew we had to. Days of preparation ensued and when the time had come, a gutted, full-size school bus carried our belongings, our dog, a few cats, 4 kids, and 2 parents to California. It was a two-week vacation to me as we stopped off in various small towns to go sightseeing, hiking, or just relaxing in a park. By day, we played in the bus listening to The Beach Boys, and by night, we slept at rest stops.

First grade was only a minor adjustment for me as I changed my mid-western accent from "Oh my word!" to "Oh my gosh!" and from "bubbler" to "drinking fountain." Once I figured out the lingo, I made friends. Throughout elementary school I really only had two best friends. This simple fact was due to the close proximity of their houses - within walking distance - and I could hear the dinner bell my mom rang when it was time for supper. Each friend was so different that they couldn't stand each other, but that was fine by me since threesomes rarely work between girls.

When I was about 10-years old, my mom, sister, and friend drove out to the beach (over the summer, when the temperature stayed warmer longer, my mom took us to the beach after dinner). This would be a night that would turn out different from other nights.

High tide set in and my friend and I were riding the current from the slough out into the ocean. I was an experienced swimmer since I had been on the swim team two summers in a row and I had fun paddling out in the waves. It never occurred to me that the water would take me too far out into the ocean that I, being an expert swimmer, would not be able to swim back ashore.

As the current became more swift and strong, the sun had begun to set and it was getting dark. My friend started to swim back to shore and I began to follow her in. I was quite a few yards away from her when I began to swim in. When I looked up again and saw that she was standing next to my mom on the beach and I wondered how she had made it in so fast. I was determined to swim harder. I would swim as best I could and then take a breather and then swim again, but I was no match for the current and my strokes only took me so far.

When I looked up again, my mom was waist deep in water and waving at me. She looked scared, but I had confidence that I could make it back. After I said a short prayer for God to help me swim harder, I put my head down and began to swim. Just when I realized I wasn't swimming fast enough and fear had begun to set in, I saw a man swimming over toward me. He had dark hair and a kind face. He asked me, "Do you need help?" I told him how I was trying to swim to shore and that I just wasn't strong enough. He put one arm around my waist and we began to swim together. I felt as though he was doing most of the swimming and we were moving effortlessly through the water. I was close enough to the water's edge that he released his hold of me and I kept on swimming in. I never thought to thank him, I was just happy to be back on land. I got a ferocious hug from my mom!

It happened to be one year later that my mom, sister, and friend were sitting around the kitchen table talking and eating lunch. My mom began to reminisce about that day at the beach when I was pulled out into the ocean. She admitted that she was really scared and had felt helpless since she was not a very good swimmer, nor was there any other person on the beach that she could see to help me. She told me she had prayed for my safe return, for some way to bring me in. I responded by telling them how hard I struggled against the current and that for every ten strokes I took, I was swept out about five. Then I told them how the man had offered his help to swim back with me.

Three skeptical faces looked at me and then at each other. They started to smile and laugh. I was confused, so I asked them what was so funny. My mom said, "What man?" Not one of them had seen the man that rescued me that day, but his face remains engraved in my mind. I believe it was an angel, sent to give me another chance at life.

I often think back on that day and wonder what God had in store for me. Why did he give me another chance? What is my purpose in life? How I am supposed to be serving God? I still don't have answers for these questions, but I have not been idle. By the grace of God I have been on six mission trips with different churches to Mexico and also, just recently, to the Dominican Republic. Each trip is different but with a similar goal – to share the gospel of Christ with the people of the country. Winning more lives for Christ will only help to spread the truth of His life, death, resurrection and also of His desire to be the Lord of your heart. I know being a servant of God is one of many purposes for my life. There are more purposes just waiting to be discovered. The more I surrender my life to Christ, the more He uses me to carryout His will, and with that understanding I can make a difference in this world one soul at a time.

Testimony of Christiane Clement
Having grown up in Germany, a country with some of the most gorgeous (empty) cathedrals and churches, I always considered myself a Christian because I was born into a so-called Christian society. You were either born Catholic or Protestant which was important because it determined whether you were put into the Catholic or Protestant religious classes at public school. After confirmation, around the age of 14, you were allowed to get out of those classes if you wanted to (I decided to stay because to me it meant a guaranteed "A"). The next important decision you had to make was whether you wanted to openly continue to be a Christian, which meant checking Catholic or Protestant on your job application which then resulted in church taxes being taken directly out of your paycheck. Nobody should be surprised to learn that most Germans have no church affiliation because it affects their bottom line. When I was growing up, neither my nor my parents' religious decisions were based on what Christianity really stands for but on what would be the most convenient thing to do.

So, what did this have to do with being a Christian? Nothing.

And eventually I moved to America, and boy, is it different over here! Prayer in public schools may be banned and most churches lack the gorgeous colorful windows that are so common in European churches, but there are actually people of all ages and backgrounds filling the pews every Sunday!

Everything changed when Christ came into my life. My decisions are no longer based on what is convenient or easy but what the Bible says. When my husband asked me to write down my testimony for him, I was very excited. I started thinking about how to best describe the change my acceptance of the Lord has made in my life and ran into a huge problem. Wanting my testimony to be perfect, I looked for "an angle" for my testimony and realized that simply everything changes when I accepted Jesus. Did my marriage change? Yes. Did my work attitude change? Yes. Did it change what kind of TV shows I am watching? Yes. Everything changes when you start believing! Everything in your life gets impacted. From financial decisions to how I react when someone cuts me off on the freeway: life isn't the same.

Testimony of Bonnie Pittinger
The thing I remember most as a small child, is the day my mom told me my father had drowned a few months before I was born. He drowned in the Delaware river in upstate N.Y. when he was only 35 yrs old. My mom told me he was a wonderful person, Loved the Lord, & would have loved me very much.

At the age of 5 my mom married a man to help pay her bills, and raise me. He was not a good father or husband, as my mother eventually found out. He was abusive & cold. I hated that man so much I wished he was dead. This caused me to grow up blaming God for taking my dad, & replacing him with such a mean person. Unfortunately because my mom worked long hrs. I was alone a lot. I was sexually abused by a relative at the age of 6. I didn't deal with that until I was an adult.

I attended a Private Christian school for my 8th & 9th grade. I also went to several Christian camps. We attended church regularly, although my stepfather didn't go much. I didn't get the love I needed from my stepfather, so I began skipping school and chasing boys.

I ended up being shipped off to my sister's home in Pa. She was older than me, & was married to a minister, so my mom thought they could get me under control. I was devastated to say the least. My mom said we were going there for a vacation, when I woke up the last day, she & my stepfather were gone. There I was 100's of miles from home and friends. I cried myself to sleep a lot, and wondered why this had happened. I know now that my mom was doing what she thought was best for me at the time.

My mom & stepfather divorced soon after that. I was 14 then, & begging to come home. My mom felt it was best to put me in a private Christian school in upstate N.Y. I was now in 11th grade. I began dating a young man I met through my cousin. I feel in love with him. He was apparently not in love with me, because he began cheating on me. This broke my heart. So I plotted to run away from school with a friend. After being caught, I went back home to go to work.

I then met a man that I thought I loved, & became pregnant with. We were married soon after. He began to beat me on a regular basis. It got worse and worse. After having my second child, I realized I had to get away from this man, or he would kill me.

I remarried at 22. It was a rough start. We both had a lot of baggage. We both realized there was something missing in our lives. I knew exactly what it was, "Jesus". I knew this because I had given my heart to Jesus when I was young, and I had turned my back on him. My husband & I realized we needed to rededicate our lives to the Lord.

It took a long time for me to heal from the past, and I still have a lot of stuff to work on, but I am so happy I am back in the Lord's hands. I can't wait to see my dad in heaven someday. I didn't realize how much the Lord loved me when I was growing up. Now I know, and He's there for anybody who is willing to call upon him for forgiveness. He can heal the past one step at a time, & make you a new person in him. You don't have to suffer with the hurt from the past. Jesus is the only one who can give the Love, & peace that passes all understanding!

Testimony of Donald Fowble
When I was younger, I always considered myself a Christian. However, I had no idea what it meant to be a Christian, I just knew my family attended a Christian church a couple of times when I was about four or five years old. I guess you can say I considered myself a Christian by association. Other than that, I had no exposure to church until my early twenties. During that lapse, I considered myself a very spiritual person. I believed in God and that there were a Heaven and a Hell. In fact, I even prayed a lot. But that was the extent of Christianity for me.

You see, I grew up in a broken home. I was the youngest of six children and my parents divorced when I was six years old. My father was an alcoholic who was pretty much emotionally absent from his children and my mother was our steady rock to depend on. Life seemed to get pretty chaotic at times. I had a few siblings that fell into drug and alcohol addictions, and even my father developed a drug addiction as time moved on. To say the least, I was seeing many mistakes being made by my family when I was very young. Luckily, I steered clear of trouble and kept my nose clean. Despite the chaos that consumed my family at times, I always remained level headed and knew I would overcome any obstacle that came in front of me. And that is exactly what I did for many years. I lived a good and conscientious life and overcame quite a few hurdles.

When I was 20 I finally hit the hurdle I couldn't overcome by myself. My mother was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and her health was rapidly declining. It was at that most critical time in her life she turned to the Lord. We had a friend of the family who was a pastor and he discipled my mother. She was baptized and began the relationship that would take away her pain, her sorrows, and forgive her sins.

Watching my mother courageously face her own mortality and seeing the confidence she had in knowing whose she was planted a seed inside of me. That seed started to grow. A few days before my mom passed away, I was saved and my fiancée Cassie (now my wife) rededicated her life to Jesus Christ.

I had always thought that if you were a good person, did the right thing, you'd wind up in Heaven. However, after attending church more often I realized that it took more than good deeds to get there. Being a good person is a step in the right direction, but having the Lord in your own life really makes all the difference. My wife and I wanted to have the Lord in our lives and took another step to be closer to Him. We were baptized together in March of 2002. Jesus said in Mark 16:16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Cassie and I definitely believe, and the journey has been incredible ever since the day we proclaimed it. I realized that things were not really up to me anymore. God and Jesus have control, and I am just a small piece of the puzzle.

Handing the reins of my life to the Lord has given me peace of mind. I know I have the Holy Spirit inside of me, guiding me wherever I go. Jesus said in John 14:26, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will remind you of everything I have said to you." Realizing this has definitely had a profound effect on my life. I know there is always someone in my corner, that I am never alone.

Life is still going to be unpredictable, there are always going to be good times and bad times. But no matter how dark situations can get or how hopeless circumstances may be, I know the Lord is, was, and always will be with me. As long as I turn to Him, I know He will guide me and bless my life. And I am ever grateful in knowing that

Testimony of Mark Flannery
I was baptized when I was only a few months old, took all the usual Sunday school classes for years, had my first communion, and was confirmed in my early teens. Done! I sat in those classes for years, but never learned a thing. You see it was very important to my father that my mom, my sisters, and I went to church every Sunday. Yet, I never saw my father step foot in a church. He demanded one thing from us and did another; this made me think church was not that important.

At 18, I moved out, started college and stopped church. Church was that thing you had to do Sunday morning before you could do all the fun stuff. What was church really anyway

I did not agree with many of the "Rules" the Catholic religion imposed and I never understood the scripture that the priest read. I meant to find a new church, one that fit me better, but I never really tried. I just went on with my life alone without God (so I thought).

Between the ages of 20 and 33, I went through rough times. I turned to alcohol, anger raged through me, and I contemplated suicide on several occasions. I started to pray again, but my prayers were asking God to take my life. At 30, I started to climb out of the deep, dark pit I felt I was in. When I was 33, I became friends with a wonderful woman (now my wife). She asked me to attend church with her one Sunday and I gladly accepted. Finally, 15 years after I said I would find a new church, I was actually doing it.

From the moment I stepped into that church, I knew it was different. The pastor read a passage from the Bible and took a lot of time to explain it. For the first time in my life, after taking many religion classes, I understood a passage in the Bible! I felt like I belonged at that church and could not wait until the following week to learn more. This went on for five months. Each weekend I learned more and I felt closer to God. Every week the pastor asked for people who had a decision to make to come forward: to accept Christ.

I felt compelled to go for forward each week, but why? I believed in Jesus Christ. I believed He is the one and only Son of God the Father. And anyway, I was baptized when I was a baby. You see, I always thought it was enough to be a good person. I always felt that by doing good things I would earn my way into Eternal Life. But on June 24, 2003 I realized differently. I was listening to the pastor. He explained very clearly where the Bible explains how we gain eternal life. He explained verses like:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." (John 14:6); "For God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16); "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9); "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 2:38); "I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." (Luke 13:3).

When the pastor explained these verses to me, I realized how to receive salvation. I also realized that I made it through those rough years because God was with me all along even though I abandoned Him. I prayed to God that night and repented my sins and I asked the Pastor to baptize me that night. My relationship with God reached a whole new level once I publicly accepted Christ in my life and choose to be baptized by immersion

Testimony of Willy Martinez: My New Life in Jesus Christ
Although I had been raised as a "nice person" in a Christian tradition, even in my childhood I was uncertain about my eternal destiny.

I was still a schoolboy when a dedicated summer-camp teacher helped me think about my relationship with God. The issue was not about religion, convictions, inherited values, or proper behavior... It was about repenting, turning to God, and being spiritually born again, freely and by faith! And so I had a life-changing experience--a real one, even though I was very young because...

"...to all who believed him [Jesus] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12 - The Bible, NLT)

Ever since, I have been growing into a personal, loving fellowship with God, and even when the going gets tough, He is there for me--all the way. It's a most fulfilling experience, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

No person is a Christian by birth. The Bible teaches that becoming a Christian depends on one's personal decision of making Jesus Christ his only Lord and Savior. The Bible says that "...all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 3:23, NLT).

Then, if you acknowledge that you are a sinner, that you need God's forgiveness, and that Jesus died for your sins. You need to turn to Jesus Christ, repent and ask Him into your Life. This is the day when you can trust Jesus eternally as your Lord and Savior.

"He brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They replied, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with your entire household.'" (Acts 16:30-31, NLT

Testimony of Thomas Clement
Did you know I appear in the Bible? It's true. And you do, too. Probably more than once. I'm not mentioned by name, of course, but I'm there. You find me in Matthew, Chapter 13

(verses 1-8) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (verses 18-23) "Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

I was a "seed" who, at age 15, "hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away." Of course, if the lack of maturity (knowledge of the Word) didn't get me, the thorns that followed certainly would (and did).

The life I lived after I accepted Christ was: despicable, stupid, self-centered, arrogant, confused, vindictive, immature, misguided -- and that was just Tuesdays. I did not do the things that would give my new faith roots and room to grow: I did not keep going to church; I did not continue to study the Bible; I did not often associate with other Christians and seek their guidance; I was not discerning enough when I did associate with Christians to know if they were free in God's word or slaves to the empty words of the world.

What made me accept Christ in the first place is that He made sense. I realized HE IS TRUE!

I'd been listening to the sermons. I'd been reading the Bible. I knew and accepted Christ's divinity and his sacrifice and his glory. I knew Christ wanted me to be a Christian. So I became a Christian. It turns out that was the easy part. Living as a Christian and leaving Christ in charge was something I made very hard for myself. There's a terrific Chinese truism, "The longest journey begins with just one step." I took the first step of walking with Christ. But not the second. Certainly not the third. By the forth step, I was walking aimlessly. By the fifth step, I was lost (and of course, men don't like to stop and ask for directions). What a sap!

Admittedly, it would have made quite some difference had my folks been practicing Christians (are you listening parents?) who could have helped me study the Bible and made sure I went to Church and made sure I knew to keep my eyes on God. But they weren't practicing Christians. And inevitably, neither was I (and one does need to practice). The next years from the end of my teens to young adulthood to my 40s would be my own bumpy ride.

Here's something you might not know: accepting Christ is a contract. And it's the biggest contract you'll ever be involved in, especially when you consider that God is the co-signer!

I appear in the Bible again: the prodigal son. I left God to go "do my own thing," but when I was finally ready to grow up and keep my end of the bargain, there He was. I left . . .

He didn't.

He doesn't.

I didn't go up to Him one Sunday morning when I was 15, tap Him on the shoulder and say, "I'm ready, are you?" He'd been tapping me on the shoulder from Day One saying, "I'm ready, are you?" He's always ready. So despite accepting Christ and then pretty much forgetting about Him and following what the world wanted me to do, God didn't cut me off. He didn't fire me. He didn't block my way back to Him. Instead, there He was the whole time saying, "I'm ready, are you?" And when I returned, there was "rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

My wife and I made a decision some years ago to put God in charge. We go to church. We read the Bible together practically every morning. We pray together more and more. Our marriage just keeps getting better and better and there's no mystery to either of us and to why. I only have one regret: that I (and we) didn't start doing it a lot sooner. Reminds me of another terrific truism: When is the best time to plant a fruit tree? Twenty years ago. When is the second best time? Today.